Heating and supply of feed water in steam power plants



' Dec. 22, 1931. E. H. sw'n-l 7 1,838,007

HEATING AND SUPPLY OF F EED WATER I N STEAM POWER 'PL'ANTS' Filed March 14, mo- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lA/VDVTOR.

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E H. SMITH HEATING AND SUPPLY OF FEED WATER IN STEAM POWER PLANTS Filed March 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w vs/vroe Ewen Henry 6} ilk, ,sr

Patented Dec. 22, 1931 STATES PATENT EWEN' HENRY SMITH, OF BELFAST, IRELAND, ASSIGNOR TO WORKMAN' CLARK (1928) LIMITED, BELFAST, IRELAND i HEATING AND SUPPLY or FEED WATER IN STEAM rowan PLANTS Application filed March 14, 1930, Serial No. 435,703, and. in Great Britain May 30, 1929.

This invention relates to steam power installations and more particularly to the feed water supply therein.

In steam power installations there is always a certain loss of water and therefore ELI the feed water derived from condensation of the steam requires to be supplemented.

The object of the present invention is to provide improvements in the heating and supplementing of the feed water. 7

According to this invention, a steam power installation comprises one or more feed water heaters heated by steam drawn from the main steam circuit, and an auxiliary steam generating plant heated by means independent of the main generating plant and its heating means, a feed heater in se ries with the first mentioned heater or heat ers and supplied with live steam directly from the said auxiliary generating plantand means for adding the condensate from the last mentioned heater to the feed waterto make up for losses of water occurring in the installation.

The use of steam in this way for heating allows of the final temperature of the feed water being kept constant under different working conditions.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood one embodiment thereof in conjunction with a steam turbine will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings where Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation showing, by way of example, a type of feed heater which may be employed, and

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan on the line IIIlIIin Fig. 2.

On the drawings the numeral ldenotes a steam turbine supplied with steam from steam generator 2 and exhausting into a condenser 3 whence the condensate is drawn ofi by an air pumpl into a hot well 5.

A series of feed heaters (in this case two in number) 6, 7 are located in series in the feed main 8 leading from the hot well through a feed pump 9 to the generator 2.

The feed heater 6 is supplied with steam as a heating agent from the turbine through a pipe 10 and has a drain 11 connecting it to,

the hot well 5. The feed heater 7 has a pipe 12 supplying it with steam from a difi'erent stage of the turbine and has a drain 13 connecting it to the feed heater 6 and thence to the drain 11 and hot .wellf5.

In addition to'the feed heaters 6 and 7 a third feed heater 14 is interposed between the feed heater, 7 and the steam generator 2.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the heater is of usual design comprising a casing 25 in which isinserted a lowerfioating header 26 connected by water tubes 27 to an upper header 28. The headers 26, 28 are so partitioned that feed water entering at the inlet 29 will flow four times along the length of the header, .as indicated by arrowsv in Fig. 2, before passing out at outlet 30. The heating steam enters at 31 and circulates round the water tubes 27 and the condensate passes out at the drain 32 to the preceding heater or to the hot well. The heater as shown would be used as the heater 14 in Fig. 1, while for use as heater 6 or 7 an inlet for the condensate from the succeeding heater would be provided on the casing 25.

The flow of the. condensate in the drains 18 and 13 is caused by. the difference in pressure of the steam used in the heaters. Drains 13 and 18 are so arranged that a water seal exists in them thereby ensuring that only condensate will pass from one heater to another. This arrangement pro vides that all the latent heat of the .steam will be extracted in the appropriate heater while the sensible heat of the condensate will be extracted in the preceding heater to which the condensate, as above mentioned, will be caused to flow by the difference in steam pressure in the heaters.

All three of the feed heaters are provided with conventional controlling and cut out valves. p

The numeral 15 denotes an auxiliary steam generator which is connected by a steam pipe 16 through valve 17 to the feed heater 1e from which a drain 18 leads into the feed heater 7 and thence to the hot well 5.

An auxiliary hot well 19 is provided to receive the exhausts or drains from auxiliary supplies through the pipe 20. This auxiliary hot well is connected by an auxiliary feed pipe 21 to the auxiliary generator into which latter feed water is pumped by the auxiliary feed pump 22. Additional water to feed the auxiliary generator 15 is fed through a valve controlled pipe from a reserve tank or tanks (not shown).

An overflow pipe 23 terminating at a certain height abovethe bottom of the main hot well 5 leads into the auxiliary hot well which is located at a lower level than the main hot.

well,

The pipe 24 is a connection from the auxiliary generator for auxiliary supplies.

The function of the installation is as follows p The feed heater 1a is arranged to raise the temperature of the fed water through the final stage necessary to bring it up to the temperature at which it is desired to feed the generator 2 and this heating is efiected by live steam direct from the auxiliary generator 15. The steam utilized in the feed-heater 14 passes out through the drain 18 and byway of feed heater 7, drain 13, feed heater 6 and drain 11 into the main hot well 5 so that it supplements the normal feed water and makes up for losses of water in the system. The capacity of the heater 14: is soarranged that the condensed heating steam which forms the drain will provide the necessary supplementary feed for the main generator in ordinary working.

At reduced power the temperature of the steam drawn from the turbine for heating purposes in the feed heaters 6 and 7 is reduced but the heater 14: will enable the feed temperature to be maintained at a standard level owing to its being supplied independently from the auxiliary generator. Should however the quantity of condensed steam supplied to the feed water from the auxiliary generator exceed the quantity of supplementary feed required under any particular working conditions. surplus will overfiow throughthe overflow pipe 23 from the main hot well to the auxiliary hot well.

The invention may be subject to numerous variations to adapt it forembodiment in steam power installations of various types, e. g., land or marine installations and, installations, having reciprocating or turbine machinery.

I, claim 1. A steam power installation comprising an engine, a main steam generating plant, an auxiliary steam generating plant fired independently of the main steam generating plant, feed water heating means "for the latter, means for heating the feed water heating means partly by steam drawn from the main generating plant and partly by live steam direct from the auxiliary generating plant and means for adding the condensate of said steam from the auxiliary generating plant to the teed water to make up for losses of water occurring in the installation.

2. A steam power installation comprising an engine, a main steam generating plant, feed water heating means supplied with steam from the main steam generating plant, means for heating the main steam generating plant, an auxiliary steam generating plant, a second heating means independent of the first mentioned heating means for heating the auxiliary generating plant, additional feed water heating means in series with the first mentioned feed water heating means and supplied with live steam directly from the auxiliary generating plant, and means for adding the condensate of the steam from the additionalfeed water heater to the feed water for the main steam generating plant.

3. A steam power installation comprising an engine, a main steam generating plant, means for'heating the same, a plurality of feed water heaters, a steam supply thereto from the main generating plant, a hot well for the collection of condensate, a drain con nection between the feed water heaters and the hot well, an auxiliary steam generating plant, a second heating means independent of the first mentioned heating means for heating the auxiliary generating plant, an additional feed water heating means connected for the supply of live steam direct from the auxiliary generatingplant -for heating purposes and a drain'connection between said additional feed water heating means and the hot well through which the condensate therefrom is added to the feed water.

4;. A steam power installation comprising an engine, a main steam generating plant, means for heating the same, a plurality of feed water heaters, a separate steam supply connection to each from the engine, a hot well, a drain connection between the first feed water heater and the hot well, a drain connection from each remaining heater to the first and thence to the hot well, an auxiliary steam generating plant, a second heating means independent of the first mentioned heating means for heating the auxiliary generatingplant, an additional feed water heating means connected for the supply of live steam direct from the auxiliary steam generating plant for heating purposes, and a drain connection between said additional feed water heating means and the hot well through which the condensate therefrom is added to the feed water. I

5. A steam power installation comprising an engine, a main steam generating plant, feed water heating means supplied with steam from the main steamgenerating plant, an auxiliary steam generating plant fired independently of the main steam generating plant, additional feed water heating means in series with the first mentioned feed water heating means and supplied with live steam directly from the auxiliary generating plant, and means for adding the condensate of the steam from the additional feed water heating means to the feed water for the main steam generating plant.

6. A steam power installation comprising an engine, a main steam generating plant, a plurality of feed water heaters, a steam supply thereto from the main generating plant, a hot well for the collection of condensate, a drain connection between the feed water heaters and the hot well, an auxiliary steam generating plant fired independently of the main steam generating plant, an additional feed water heating means connected for the supply of live steam direct from the auxiliary generating plant for heating purposes, and a drain connection between said additional feed water heating means and the hot well through which the condensate therefrom is added to the feed water.

7. A steam power installation comprising an engine, a main steam generating plant,

a plurality of feed water heaters, a separate steam supply connection to each from the engine, a hot well, a drain connection between the first feed water heater and the hot well, a drain connection from each remaining heater to the first and thence to the hot well, an auxiliary steam generating plant fired independently of the main steam generating plant, an additional feed .water heating means connected for the supply of live steam direct from the auxiliary steam generating plant for heating purposes, and a drain connection between said additional feed water heating means and the hot well through which the condensate therefrom is added to the feed water.

8. A steam power installation comprising an engine, a main steam generating plant, feed water heating means supplied with steam from the main steam generating plant, a main hot well for the collection of condensate, a drain connection between the feed water heating means and the hot well, an auxiliary steam generating plant fired independently of the main steam generating plant, an additional feed water heating means con- 9. A steam power installation comprising an engine, a main steam generating plant, a plurality of feed water heaters, a steam supply thereto from the main generating plant, a main hot well for the collection of condensate, a drain connection between the feed water heaters and the hot well, an auxiliary steam generating plant fired independently of the main steam generating plant, an additional feed water heating means connected for the supply of live steam direct from the auxiliary generating plant for heating pur poses, a drain connection between said additional feed water heating means and the hot well through which the condensate therefrom is added to the feed water, and an auxiliary hot well serving the auxiliary steam generating plant and connected with the main hot well to receive any overflow from the latter should the supply of condensate from the auxiliary generating plant exceed the quantity of feed water required to be made up.

10. A steam power installation comprising an engine, a main steam generating plant, a plurality of feed water heaters, a separate steam supply connection to each from the engine, a hot well, a drain connection between the first feed water heater and the hot well, a drain connection from each remaining heater to the first and thence to the hot well, an auxiliary steam generating plant fired independently of the main steam generating plant, an additional feed water heating means connected for the supply of live steam direct from the auxiliary steam generating plant for heating purposes, a drain eonnection between said additional feed water heating means and the hot well through which the condensate therefrom is added to the feed water, and an auxiliary hot well serving the plant exceed the quantity of feed water required to be made up.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EWEN HENRY SMITH.

nected for the supply of live steam direct from the auxiliary steam generating plant for heating purposes, a drain connection between said additional feed water heating means and the hot well through which the condensate therefrom is added to the feed water and an auxiliary hot well serving the auxiliary steam generating plant and connected with the main hot well to receive any overflow from the latter should the supply of condensate from the auxiliary generating plant exceed the quantity of feed water required to be made up. 

